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. 2021 Jan-Dec:12:21501327211029800.
doi: 10.1177/21501327211029800.

Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience from Penampang District, Sabah, Malaysia

Sam Froze Jiee  1 , Melvin Ebin Bondi  1 , Muhammad Ezmeer Emiral  1 , Anisah Jantim  1
Affiliations

Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience from Penampang District, Sabah, Malaysia

Sam Froze Jiee et al. J Prim Care Community Health. 2021 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Background: Polio Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) were carried out in the State of Sabah in response to the Vaccine Derived Poliovirus outbreak declared in December 2019. Prior to this, Malaysia had been polio-free over the past 27 years. This paper reported on the successful implementation of SIAs in the district of Penampang, Sabah, adapting (vaccine administration) to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A series of meticulous planning, healthcare staff training, advocacy, and community engagement activities were conducted by the Penampang District Health Office. Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) and monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine were administered over the period of 1 year via these methods: house to house, drive-through, static, and mobile posts. The targeted group was 22 096 children aged 13 years and below.

Results: Polio SIAs in Penampang managed to achieve more than 90% coverage for both bOPV and mOPV. The overall vaccine wastage was reported to be 1.63%. No major adverse reaction was reported.

Conclusion: High vaccine uptake during Polio SIAs in Penampang was attributed to good inter-agency collaboration, community engagement, intensified health promotion activities, and drive-through vaccination campaign.

Keywords: Malaysia; Sabah; Supplementary Immunization Activities; collaboration; community engagement; drive-through vaccination; health promotion; polio.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Process flow of polio SIAs in Penampang.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Total percentage of coverage throughout the implementation of Polio SIAs. Original denominator, n = 22 096 (children aged 13 years and below).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Comparison of achievement according to SIAs methods for bOPV and mOPV in Penampang.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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